The state Labor Department says New York’s unemployment rate decreased from 7.4 percent to 7.1 percent in December, its lowest level since January 2009. Numbers for the Capital Region tell a slightly different story...

The unemployment rate in the Capital Region fell to a low of 5.4 percent in December. That's lowest number for the 12th month of the year since 2007 - but the number of workers making up the labor force stands at about 437,000, the lowest December figure since 2000.

According to state officials in Massachusetts, the unemployment rose to 6.7% in December, and for the Berkshires, the unemployment rate is now above the state average.

Although the numbers released by the State Executive Office of Labor and Workforce development are not seasonally adjusted, the Berkshires now face an unemployment rate at 6.6% That’s up half a percentage point from October and November, and the highest it’s been since February 2012.